Lebanon's Militias Providing Social Services

By IHSAN A. HIJAZI, Special to the New York Times

Published: October 18, 1987

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Oct. 17—
Lebanon's political and religious militias, which after 12 years of civil war have virtually replaced the central Government as the effective authorities in most of the country, have started their own networks of social services ranging from providing textbooks to operating buses.

With Lebanese on both sides of the Christian-Moslem division now preoccupied with a national economic crisis, the militias have found themselves on the defensive, fearful that the hardship could erode their popular support. ''Without steadfast masses, there can be no militiamen,'' Dr. Samir Geagea, commander of the 6,000-member Christian militia known as the Lebanese Forces, said in explaining the social service networks.

In the midst of an economic depression unparalleled in Lebanon's 44 years of independence, the Government recently lifted subsidies for gasoline, and fuel prices have more than doubled as a result.

Without such a move, the Government, its treasury empty, would not have been able to import fuel.

The action coincided with a doubling of tuition as parents prepared to send their children back to school.

Since most school textbooks are imported, their prices have soared along with those for other imported merchandise, because they must be paid for in foreign exchange.

In the last three years, the Lebanese pound has lost 80 percent of its value in relation to the American dollar and other foreign currencies.

Unemployment is estimated at 25 percent of the work force, and the inflation rate is said to have been about 225 percent in the first nine months of this year.

Many factories and other businesses have been destroyed in the years of factional fighting, and foreign investment has dried up. Industrial output is believed to be only about half of what it was 10 years ago.

The Iranian-backed Islamic fundamentalist Party of God has announced the creation of an education department, which it said would offer more than 3,000 scholarships to Moslem students and textbooks for 17,000 more.

This was similar to a plan for the Christians that was presented by the Lebanese Forces. Predicting that the political crisis will continue indefinitely, Dr. Geagea explained his group's plan at a recent news conference in East Beirut, the predominantly Christian sector of the capital.

He said his militia would provide scholarships, sell textbooks at 40 percent of their cost, and operate a bus service between Christian districts. Medical services will be accorded as well. The militia is already providing food rations to thousands of displaced Christians.

In the Shuf mountains southeast of here, the largely Druse Progressive Socialist Party and its militia have been importing gasoline from Libya and selling it at below-market prices. This and other services are the responsibility of a local administration that Walid Jumblat, the Druse who heads the Progressive Socialist Party, set up after his militia seized control of the Shuf four years ago.

The militias finance their social services largely by taxing the commerce in ports that they have operated for a decade, as well as through subsidies some receive from foreign countries. These privately operated ports have deprived the treasury of 60 percent of its annual customs revenue.

The Party of God has no harbor of its own, but news reports here have said Iran provides $5 million a month in subsidies for the group.

These reports also say Mr. Jumblat's forces are getting their gasoline free from Libya.

The Lebanese Forces operate their own pier at the Government-run Beirut harbor, and are in complete control of the port of Junieh north of here.

The depression appears to have had little visible impact on the private armies. The Lebanese Forces have been advertising for more recruits to join the militia academy in the Christian-controlled hill region, and the Party of God has announced it is adding a new training camp for recruits in the Bekaa, the eastern valley region.